How to Grow Water Lilies

For habitat-led projects with planting and biodiversity in mind, see our wildlife pond design service.

Water lilies often are the centerpiece in your water garden

One of the most popular aquatic plants around. Every water garden should incorporate at least a few. Aside from their eye-catching qualities, water lilies also offer protection and shade to keep the pond nice and cool for koi fish. Ideally, thirty to sixty percent of your pond’s surface should be covered with aquatic plants and water lilies are an aesthetic way to accomplish this.

Water gardeners often cite water lilies as a favorite pond plant because they come in an array of colors while being easy to grow. Even if you don’t own a pond, you can attempt growing these gorgeous plants in a water-tight container located in a sunny area of your garden.

How to Grow Water Lilies

To plant your water lily, you need an aquatic container or planter to put it in first. specialiast planters tjhat are made of a flexible and porous material designed for water lilies are available to purchase online.

Before placing the water lily in your aquatic planter, use a once ferilizer tablet available to purchase online Note that water lilies have a ravenous hunger and grow best when well fed. Next, begin to add soil using a pond planting media to support healthy growth for your lily.

Then take the hardy water lily rootstalk at a 45-degree angle with the cut end deep in the soil toward the edge of the container allowing the growing tip 3/4″ to protrude above the soil’s surface.

Coat the top of the soil with clean gravel or small pebbles to prevent the soil from escaping into the water for when you place the aquatic planter into a decorative container. To help disguise the rock or gravel in the water, use black or dark gravel before layering it about a 1/2” thick.

Once your waterlily is correctly planted in its aquatic planter, you can place it into its decorative container.

Make sure to choose a decorative planter specifically used for container water gardening as other planters come with a hole in the bottom. These can be difficult to seal properly, and you want to avoid any possibility of leakage.

Select a container at least 12 to 15” deep with a width of 24 to 36”. Begin filling the decorative container with water before placing the water lily in.

Gently set the mesh pot into your water-filled decorative container at an angle as the bubbles discharge. You can avert turbulence by lowering the water lily into the decorative container on a tilt.

How to Grow Water Lilies

After successfully planting your water lily, choose an ideal location for it. Water lilies require at least 6 hours of sunshine, but they thrive best in a spot that receives 8-10 hours of sun.

How to Grow Water Lilies

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